Labor promised 4 Tracks on the Strathfield-Hornsby Northern Line in 1949 that shows they have ignored the concerns of commuters over several decades.

Meadowbank Railway Station

Consider that Labor gave Meadowbank Railway Station a cheap Pedestrian Overpass at Meadowbank Railway Station in 2007 which after 10 years shows signs of significant rust shows that Labor ignored the Ryde Electorate with a Minister for Transport as Local Member.

Cheap and Nasty solutions end up costing more.

Epping Railway Station

Worse still another Labor Minister for Transport gave Epping Railway Station a Pedestrian Concourse that did not take into account configuring surface platforms for 4 deliberately when the room exists.

Epping can still have 4 surface platforms however tracks and platforms will have to be reconfigured at great unnecessary expense.

North Strathfield Railway Station

In order to have 4 platforms at North Strathfield Railway Station again great unnecessary expense will have to be outlaid and yet Sydney is being told that it must have a different rail technology.

Labor’s 1949 promise was made as they had just finished destroying the Ryde Tram Line which was Sydney’s second longest in a Tram Network that was the second largest outside of London in the British Empire.

North Strathfield Railway Station From Pomeroy Street Overpass where room exists for reinstatement of fourth city bound track

John Whitton Bridge Abutment and Piers Designed For 4 Tracks with Spans for 2 Tracks

Strathfield-Hornsby Northern Line

Strathfield-Hornsby Northern Line handles the following Trains:

Freight,

Interstate,

Interurban,

Suburban.

Currently commuters comes last and as an afterthought with a lack of Government investment to do what has been needed for many decades. 4 Tracks and 4 Operating Platforms places people Front and Centre of Decision Making.

Strathfield-Hornsby Northern Line includes the following Railway Stations:

Strathfield,

North Strathfield,

Concord West,

Rhodes,

Meadowbank,

West Ryde,

Denistone,

Eastwood,

Epping,

Cheltenham,

Beecroft,

Pennant Hills,

Thornleigh,

Normanhurst,

Hornsby.

With the Thornleigh-Epping Third Track commuters will face a mish-mash of 2, 3 and 4 operating tracks on the Strathfield-Hornsby Northern Line that negatively impacts on rail services, particularly in peak hour.

John Whitton Bridge replaced original structure that opened on 17 September 1886 which spans the Parramatta River between Rhodes and Meadowbank Railway Stations.

Second John Whitton Bridge has Piers to accommodate 4 Tracks and Spans for 2 Tracks that should have been completed with 4 Tracks on the deck of the Bridge when it opened in 1980.

West Ryde-Epping Northern Line

In 1985 Editor Victor P Taffa along with his brother and sister took a log of late running trains at West Ryde and Denistone Railway Stations.

End result was a success for our family and commuters. In 1988 newly elected Minister for Transport Bruce Baird signed off on 2 additional Tracks and Operating Platforms between West Ryde and Epping.

This improved services however the entire Northern Line between Strathfield and Hornsby needs 4 continuous Tracks and Operating Platforms that puts commuters Front and Centre of Decision Making.

Heavy Rail for Sydney has proved its worth over several decades to keep the Capital City of New South Wales moving. Another rail technology and rail carriages that forces 70% of fare paying passengers to stand is not what Sydney needs.

Heavy Rail for Sydney including the North West Line under construction will continue to keep people moving as long as successive State Governments builds new lines and improve and extend existing lines.

Sydney needs Heavy Rail and commuters must be placed Front and Centre of Decision Making.